luisparis

Hi

Following the trip related to the thread below to Saariselka last April - and another lovely scandinavian trip to Stockholm a week ago, we are planning to head again to Lapland over Christmas.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/scand...ily-april.html

I was about to book again a cottage in Saariselka but couldn't find the right flight connections (will call Finnair tomorrow to see if they can fix this issue - it seems the connaction in HEL is too short for them to take the booking on their website). Rovaniemi isn't looking good either.

What other alternatives could you recommend sharing similar characteristics - family oriented (we have 2 kids, the oldest is 4y o ) and we don't ski but will enjoy northern lights, dog slegging, ice fishing, snowmobiling, walking, snowtoboggan as well as Santa related activities - We could do without Santa but the eldest kid will be upset.

It could be anywhere in Scandinavia, but I liked the size of Sariseelka.

Thanks for all info, I'm a little in a rush as in saariselka many of the better cottages are already rented out for that period.

Thanks
Luis

warlando

Have you considered Norway yet? I don't know if there are as many family-oriented activities as you expect, nor have I visited there in winter but I tell you, Norway was the most attractive place among 4 Scandinavian countries to me in my last trip in summer. It has scenic Nordic nature with clean environment, and people were very nice.
I recommend you visiting Bergen. They say the climate in Bergen is relatively mild in winter, and as I googled it, there are some spots for hiking and snow sledding. It's a beautiful city surrounded by huge mountains.

p.s. If you have any chance, try taking a train from Oslo to Bergen. It has stunning view and is a very popular route among travelers.

luisparis

Thanks Warlando, we finally booked a flight to Ivalo again - twice more expensive with poorer connections than our first trip there - but I'm already thinking about our later trips to Scandinavia !

We went to Oslo again late august last year than drove around a 150kms perimeter during a few days and liked it *very* much. I checked a bit on the internet and the activities offered in Northern Norway seem less family oriented than in Finnish lapland - but it's also quite a bit warmer on the norwegian coast. Bergen would be too far south to see the northern light but i definitely have to visit this city.

Might head there next summer as well as to a couple more places in Scandinavia for a longer journey.